Belle Isle's iconic giant slide to reopen this week
(CBS DETROIT) - Belle Isle Park's famous six-lane, giant slide reopens to visitors this week.
The slide reopens with special free hours on Friday only from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. before resuming normal operating hours on Saturday.
"We're excited to open the iconic giant slide for the 2024 season," said Tom Bissett, urban district manager for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, in a statement.
The slide went viral in the summer of 2022 when several videos captured riders bouncing down the slide at speed.
A Detroit mother sued the city, the Michigan DNR and the park's manager in 2023, claiming the slide gave her two sons concussions when they slid down. In the lawsuit, the woman said she saw her sons "go airborne and strike their heads multiple times" when the slide opened on Aug. 19, 2022.
The original slide was introduced in 1967. The current slide is maintained by the Michigan DNR. New safety upgrades were put in place before this year's reopening.
The slide is open on Fridays from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $1 per slide. The slide's season ends on Labor Day.